Trial biker David Trewin is looking very much like one to watch next year after he narrowly missed out on a couple of big wins this year.

The Kaikoura man has been busy competing throughout 2013. Following his success on home soil the previous year when he won the expert class for the first time, David went on to take out the South Island rounds this year.

This is the first year he has taken part in all 10 rounds in the North Island, too, and while there is a lot of travelling involved, David is pleased to have been able to compete as much as he has, and all that work paid off when he missed out on first place by just one point.

In the nationals, David was competing in the intermediate open section against 12 others. The trials were held weekends in Auckland, Wellington and Taupo, finishing in Tauranga in October. David was stoked to have come second in this contest, too.

Another highlight from 2013 was the special six-day trial event in Kaikoura to mark the 100th birthday of the Pioneer Motorcycle Club.

David has been competing for five years, with increasing success. He has put in a lot of work, and spent a fair bit of money, not only travelling to competitions up and down the country but also training after work to ensure he remains at the top. But he knows he will have to concentrate hard if he wants to beat the pack.

"I'm good at the harder obstacles with the bigger rocks and things, but I do lose concentration easily on the easier bits. A lot of it is a mind game."

With very little down time as the competitions run throughout the year, David is already gearing up for the first event on the 2014 calendar, which is the North Island rounds at the end of January. This will be his last year at intermediate level before he joins the top expert grade.

Future plans for the 19-year-old include getting to Australia to compete in the next couple of years, before moving on to the European circuit in about eight years.

And if he can make it into the world rounds he will finally be able to earn back all the money he has spent on bikes over the years, as well as making a name for himself internationally.